http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/tiger-tivendale-is-ready-to-roc-on/2009/06/20/1244918237111.htmlTiger Tivendale is ready to ROC on
Adam McNicol | June 21, 2009
WHILE he was dashing along the wing for Richmond, Greg Tivendale always believed he would eventually return to the club of his youth. But even last season, when he often found himself running around with Coburg in the VFL, he was confident such a move was still some time away.
"I would like to think I could've played for another year, maybe two," Tivendale admitted last weekend. Unfortunately for the veteran of 188 AFL games, this was not how then-coach Terry Wallace saw it.
"We were on reasonable terms," Tivendale said. "I'd go in each week to see 'Plough' if I had a good game for Coburg and he'd tell me why I wasn't going to be playing. We spoke the whole way through and he took me aside with a couple of weeks to go and said I would be delisted.
"I got a farewell game at the end, which was good. You move on. I'm not bitter or anything. Looking at how they're travelling now, it probably wasn't such a bad time to get out."
Tivendale contemplated spending a year or two at a VFL club, before dismissing that option. "I just thought it's a comp with a lot of young guys on the way up, aspiring to play league footy. I was going the other way," he said.
The call of home was also strong. The Tivendale family has a long connection with the Rythdale-Officer-Cardinia Football Club, better known as ROC. Greg's parents remain heavily involved, while his sister, Amy, plays netball and his brother, Ben, captains the senior footy team. So, at the age of 29, Tivendale left behind the MCG and Punt Road Oval to continue his career at the more rustic surrounds of the Officer Recreation Reserve.
"I always wanted to come back here at some stage," he said. "It's become a big family day for us, so it's all good."
Tivendale is ROC's greatest export. He made his debut at Richmond during Jeff Gieschen's ill-fated reign, and in his early days often thrilled crowds with his pace and trademark long, running goals. He tasted finals action under Danny Frawley, but some years later, as the Tigers' expected revival under Wallace failed to materialise, many fans made him a scapegoat for the team's horrendous skill level.
"When you're playing a sport like AFL there's plenty of people out there who are going to have their opinions on everything about footy," Tivendale reflected. "Some people like the way you go about it and others don't. It's water off a duck's back really. That's just how it is."
Yet, he has mostly good memories of his time at Richmond.
"I'm pretty satisfied, especially when you consider I missed out in the draft and had to come through the rookie list. To survive for 11 years and play 180-odd games is something to look back on and be reasonably proud of I think."
Tivendale, who turned 30 in April, admits to being shocked that the Tigers have imploded again.
"I honestly thought they'd play finals and maybe push top four. There's plenty of talent on the list. I think that Carlton debacle really took the wind out of their sails."
But local footy is where Tivendale's focus now lies. While he was away, ROC went through its own share of upheaval. The Kangaroos won a West Gippsland league premiership in 2002, before deciding to change competitions in 2005.
Adjusting to life in the Casey-Cardinia league, which includes ROC's long-time rivals Beaconsfield and Pakenham, along with suburban powerhouses such as Narre Warren and Berwick, has been no easy feat. Last year the Roos won only three games.
"It's much more professional in this league and that's where ROC has struggled a bit," said Ben Tivendale. "One of the hardest changes is that we still have a bush footy club culture, but we've got to start thinking more like the metro clubs now. We haven't got a great ground or pavilion but it's coming. We'll have much better facilities in the next couple of years."
However, the mood of the club lifted immeasurably when Greg announced he was coming home late last year. "There was genuine excitement," said senior coach Kris Fletcher, who had only just joined the Roos, after a distinguished career at Beaconsfield. "The whole place was buzzing."
By round one, the supporters were itching to see their local hero in action, and they turned out in record numbers for ROC's opening match of the season against Hampton Park. A five-goal win meant the social rooms were jumping after the game.
Since then, the Kangaroos have come back to earth thanks to a couple of thumpings from top sides Doveton and Pakenham, although their 12-goal final-quarter onslaught against Keysborough three weeks ago showed they were not done.
"We have a lot of young kids playing at the moment," said Ben Tivendale. "So we know what the bigger picture is. We're on the right track."
Like the team, Tivendale's form has been up and down, as he adjusts to the slower pace of grass-roots footy.
After slipping under the radar during much of his AFL career, he has to deal with taggers on a weekly basis. Eight days ago against Cranbourne he was scragged every time he went near the ball, but received little aid from the umpires, much to the dismay of the many ROC followers watching.
Occasionally he lashed out in frustration and a few scuffles ensued, during which he was always backed up by Ben. "Just for the two of us, we're really enjoying playing alongside each other," Greg said. "We look out for each other."
Cranbourne kicked away in the last quarter to win easily, but Tivendale finished with two goals and was named ROC's best player.
A series of crucial matches over the next month will determine if he can lead ROC on a late charge towards the finals. Even if that doesn't happen, the former Tiger is making plenty of friends. "He's good but he's not arrogant at all," said Fletcher. "If you didn't follow his career you wouldn't know he'd played nearly 200 AFL games. He's so easy-going and he's happy to talk to anyone, whether it's the best player in the side or the bloke missing out in the twos. He's just a genuinely nice bloke really."
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